Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned

After Shigure Akihito drained that game-killing three-pointer, the match quickly entered its final moments. And the instant the final buzzer sounded, every player from Seiho stood frozen in place, breathless and blank-minded.

All around the gymnasium, the students from Seiho Junior High stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

In just one quarter...

They had watched a 27-point lead vanish.

No

They had even been overtaken!

What kind of madness was this?

It was simply too absurd, too outrageous to believe, yet it had unfolded before their very eyes. No one could deny it.

And the one who orchestrated this devastation... was just a single person.

Teiko's No. 12.

At that realization, a chill crept through everyone.

He had sat on the bench through the first three quarters, even as his team trailed by 27, only stepping onto the court in the final period.

They had thought Seiho were the hunters, and Teiko the helpless prey.

But never in their wildest imaginations did they expect,

That all their efforts, all that massive lead, had simply been Teiko holding back.

No. 12 from Teiko was the real hunter.

And they, Seiho, had been his prey all along.

Such confidence…

Could it be…

Had Teiko really been willing to gamble everything on one player?

Were they so certain that this No. 12 could overturn the tide?

On the sidelines, the coach of Seiho felt his mind flood with questions.

But frustratingly, he could read nothing from the face of Hakkin Kozo, whose expression remained utterly unreadable.

"...No wonder he's so revered in the junior high basketball world,"

"He actually unearthed a monster like that."

One thing was clear:

Someone of No. 12's caliber could not have suddenly exploded with talent in a single year.

And if he'd been on Teiko's roster before, there was no way the Seiho coach wouldn't have heard of him. Not in the Tokyo circuit. He'd have definitely caught wind of it.

So then,

Was this player scouted from outside Tokyo?

Was Coach Hakkin planning to go all-in this year?

Recruiting talent from across the country just to contend for the title?

To challenge Okayama's Miracle Generation, who were now seniors with a complete starting lineup and still growing stronger?

But that was Okayama, after all!

The Seiho coach remembered watching them live last year, and even he had to admire their strength.

Logically, if Hakkin had simply waited one more year, when Okayama's third-years graduated to high school, his Teiko team could have had a smoother road to the championship.

But instead, after losing to Okayama in the semifinals last year, Hakkin began plotting immediate revenge, rebuilding for a comeback this very season.

While Seiho's coach was mentally spiraling,

On the court, Teiko's players surged forward and surrounded Shigure Akihito, slapping hands and shoulders, locking him in a jubilant huddle of cheers and celebration.

In just that one 10-minute fourth quarter, they had witnessed a miracle.

And at the moment the game ended, many of them couldn't help but think the same thing:

"If it's Shigure Akihito…

Maybe as long as he's on the court, losing just isn't an option."

Look at what he just did in this game.

One quarter.

Shigure scored nearly 30 points all by himself.

On the other side,

Seiho's shooting guard, Takahama Ryo, who had first been blown apart by Shigure's momentum and later had the ball stolen from him in crunch time, now sat blankly on the floor. His eyes were hollow, his head lowered, and his hands trembling.

Beside him was Karai Riku, supposedly Seiho's ace. But in that fourth quarter, he had been all but invisible under Shigure's shadow.

The referees, seeing the state of things, awkwardly continued with their formal post-game announcements.

"The game has ended…"

"Seiho Junior High vs. Teiko Junior High."

"Final score: 87 to 92. Teiko wins."

As those words rang out, a sudden sound of footsteps approached from Seiho's side, growing louder and more deliberate.

And with them came voices of surprise from Teiko's bench.

"Huh?"

"Shigure?"

Seiho's players looked up… and locked eyes with Teiko's No. 12, striding directly toward them.

Takahama Ryo was the first to meet his gaze.

And in that fleeting eye contact, he could clearly see it,

A flicker of glee. Of thrill.

Takahama Ryo: "…"

That bastard!

Unable to endure the look, Ryo quickly averted his eyes.

And Shigure Akihito, amidst all the gloom, depression, and hopelessness around him, calmly swept his gaze across the defeated players.

His eyes only grew brighter.

Others on the court may not have understood what he was thinking.

But Hakkin Kozo, standing quietly on the sidelines, understood perfectly.

"That's right."

"Those are opponents you've crushed with your own hands."

"That's the true taste of victory."

That intoxicating thrill, that sight of fear in an enemy's eyes,

If you enjoy it, then embrace it completely.

Because in the world of competition, someone always wins.

There's no need for guilt.

Only when you're confronted with someone overwhelmingly stronger do you realize just how frail and small you really are.

Those fearful, trembling, evasive eyes,

They are the proof of that weakness.

And for you, Shigure Akihito,

They are fuel.

Fuel that will carry you forward.

So look carefully,

At these ordinary people in front of you.

And at yourself,

Completely captivated by this moment.

To be continued...

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